Methods, systems and apparatus for promoting the pourability of semi-frozen and semi-fluidic beverages from beverage containers

ABSTRACT

A beverage container for a blender includes one or more vibrating mechanisms coupled to a bottom portion of the beverage container or integrated within one or more walls of the beverage container. After a beverage has been blended, the one or more vibrating mechanisms are activated as the beverage is being poured. Vibrations from the one or more vibrating mechanisms are mechanically transmitted to the beverage container, thereby promoting the pourability of the beverage from the beverage container, including dislodging ingredients in the beverage that became lodged or trapped in crevices of the beverage container during the prior blending process, and freeing up beverage ingredients that accumulated at the bottom of the beverage container during the prior blending process.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/942,420, filed on Nov. 16, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/705,698, filed on Feb. 15, 2010.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed at methods, systems and apparatus forpromoting the pourability of beverages from beverage containers,particularly, but not limited to, from beverage containers used in thepreparation and blending of semi-frozen and semi-fluidic beverages.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Slushies, smoothies, milkshakes and other semi-frozen and semi-fluidicbeverages are typically prepared using a blender, which is a well-knownappliance comprising a container with a removable lid and a motor-drivenblade at the container bottom for blending and preparing beverages.Blenders are useful since they simplify and hasten the process ofpreparing these types of beverages. However, one frustrating side-effectof their use is that during blending some of the beverage ingredientstend to become lodged in crevices of the blender container and/oraccumulate at the bottom of the container. The viscosities of thesetypes of beverages are also usually high, and often remain high evenafter blending. The high viscosities also makes it difficult to pourthese types of beverage from blender containers.

After a beverage has been blended, the person operating the blender willtypically attempt to use a spatula, spoon, or other utensil to promotepourability of the beverage. However, not only is this techniquecumbersome it is also only moderately effective. Indeed, a significantamount of the beverage usually ends up being discarded as waste when theblender is cleaned after use.

Another approach used by blender operators in an attempt to promotepourability is to hit (i.e., bang on) the side of the blender containeras the beverage is being poured. This approach is also not entirelyeffective. It can also cause discomfort, particularly to those blenderoperators that must use the blender frequently throughout the day, suchas employees of beverage companies. Repeated banging on the sides ofblender containers not only cause soreness to the operators' palms, insome cases it can even result in wrist and hand injuries.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Methods, systems and apparatus for promoting the pourability ofsemi-frozen and semi-fluidic beverages from beverage containers (e.g.,beverage containers of blenders) are disclosed. An exemplary beveragecontainer for a blender includes one or more vibrating mechanismscoupled to a bottom portion of the beverage container or integratedwithin one or more walls of the beverage container. The beveragecontainer is adapted to dock to a blender base, which includes a motorfor turning a blade in the beverage container when the beveragecontainer is docked on the blender base. After blending and after thebeverage container is undocked from the blender base, the one or morevibrating mechanisms are activated as the beverage is being poured.Vibrations from the one or more vibrating mechanisms are mechanicallytransmitted to the beverage container, thereby promoting the pourabilityof the beverage from the beverage container, including dislodgingingredients in the beverage that became lodged or trapped in crevices ofthe beverage container during the prior blending process, and freeing upbeverage ingredients that accumulated at the bottom of the beveragecontainer during the prior blending process.

Further features and advantages of the present invention, includingdescriptions of the structure and operation of the above-summarized andother exemplary embodiments of the invention, will now be described indetail with respect to accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumbers are used to indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side sectional drawing of a beverage blender, according toan embodiment of the present invention, in unassembled form;

FIG. 2 is a side sectional drawing of the beverage blender in FIG. 1 inassembled form;

FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating a process of pouring a semi-frozen orsemi-fluidic beverage from the beverage container of the beverageblender in FIGS. 1 and 2 into a receiving cup, highlighting thevibration forces that are transferred to the beverage container from oneor more vibrating mechanisms configured within a collar of the blender;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a collar that may be used in the beverageblender in FIG. 1, highlighting one way of implementing the one or morevibrating mechanisms in the collar, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are simplified drawings of the plunger-type solenoidused in the one or more vibrating mechanisms of the collar in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an electrical schematic of a vibration control circuit thatmay be used to activate and deactivate the coils of the plunger-typesolenoids used in the one or more vibrating mechanisms of the collar inFIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating how beverage containers of the variousembodiments of the present invention may include a vibration controlswitch that allows a person to activate, deactivate and control the oneor more vibrating mechanisms during pouring;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a collar that may be used in the beverageblender in FIG. 1, highlighting another way of implementing the one ormore vibrating mechanisms in the collar, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a top view of a collar that may be used in the beverageblender in FIG. 1, highlighting another way of implementing the one ormore vibrating mechanisms in the collar, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is an electrical schematic of a vibration control circuit thatmay be used to control the vibrating mechanism of the collar in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an electrical schematic of an alternative vibration controlcircuit that may be used to control the vibrating mechanism of thecollar in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a side sectional drawing of a beverage blender having abeverage container with one or more vibrating mechanisms integratedwithin the walls of the beverage container, according to an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a side view drawing of a belt or strap having a plurality ofvibrating packs that can be wrapped around the exterior of a beveragecontainer, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;and

FIG. 14 is a drawing of one of the vibrating packs used in the belt orstrap in FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a side sectional drawing of abeverage blender 10 in unassembled form, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. The beverage blender 10 comprises a blender base100, a collar 102, a blade unit 104, and a beverage container 106. Theblender base 100 includes an alternating current to direct current(AC/DC) converter 108, a motor drive circuit 110, and a blender motor112. The AC/DC converter 108 is configured to convert AC power from theAC mains to DC power. The DC power is supplied to the motor drivecircuit 110, which operates to control the activation and speed of theblender motor 112. DC power is also generated and supplied to electricalcontacts 114, which as explained below are used to connect to electricalcontacts 118 on the collar 102.

In one embodiment of the invention, the collar 102 is acylindrically-shaped body, as is more readily apparent in later drawings(see, for example, FIG. 4), and includes within its interior (oralternatively on its outer surface) one or more vibrating mechanisms120. Accordingly, collectively, the collar 102 and vibrating mechanisms120 comprise a vibrator. When the collar 102 is secured in the blenderbase 100 its electrical contacts 118 are electrically connected to theelectrical contacts 114 on the blender base 104. This allows DC powerfrom the AC/DC converter 108 to be used to charge a rechargeable powersource (not shown) such as a rechargeable battery contained within or onthe collar 102. (In an alternative embodiment, the kinetic energy of theblender motor may be used as the energy source for recharging therechargeable power source.) The rechargeable power source is the sourceof power for the one or more vibrating mechanisms 120, and as discussedin more detail below, the one or more vibrating mechanisms 120 generatevibrations in the collar 102 and beverage container 106 during pouringto promote the pourability of the beverage from the beverage container106, including extracting lodged and trapped beverage ingredients fromcrevices and recesses in the beverage container 106 and ingredientsaccumulated at the bottom of the beverage container 106 due to apreviously applied blending process. To reduce the effect of thevibrations on the person pouring the beverage, the handle 128 may bedesigned to be an anti-vibration handle using, for example, shockabsorbing materials such as elastomers, gels, or the like.

It should be emphasized here that whereas a collar 102 is used in thisexemplary embodiment, to both house the vibrating mechanisms 120 and totransfer vibrations from the one or more vibrating mechanisms 120 to thebeverage container 106, other types of vibrators not requiring the useof a collar may be employed. Indeed, any vibrator or vibrating mechanismthat can be permanently or releasably attached to the base portion 130of the beverage container 106 or integrated within one or more walls ofthe beverage container 106 or base portion 130, whether by use of acollar or not, may be used.

The blade unit 104 comprises a blade 122 or other type of stirrer, ablade base 124, and a blade shaft 126. The beverage container 106 has ahandle 128 and includes a bottom portion 130 for receiving the collar102 and blade unit 104. The collar 102 and blade unit 104 may bedesigned as either a single integrated unit or as separate assemblies.According to one embodiment of the invention, the collar 102 and bottomportion 130 have complementary screw threads that allow the collar 102to be releasably attached to (i.e., screwed on and off of) the bottomportion 130 of the beverage container 106. The ability to detach thecollar 102 from the beverage container 106 allows the various blendercomponents to be separated for easier cleaning. In alternativeembodiments, the collar 102 is either permanently attached to the bottomportion 130 of the beverage container 106 or is not a separate componentof the blender assembly but an integral part of the beverage container106 itself.

For the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the collar 102 furtherincludes a shaft aperture 132 for receiving both the blade shaft 126 anda drive shaft 134 of the blender motor 112. As illustrated in FIG. 2,when the collar 102 is attached to the bottom portion 130 of thebeverage container 106 and the beverage container 106 and collar 102 aresecured (i.e., docked) on the blender base 100, the drive shaft 134 ofthe blender motor 112 extends through the shaft aperture 132 and engagesthe blade shaft 126. In this configuration, the electrical contacts 118on the collar 102 are also electrically connected to the electricalcontacts 114 on the blender base 100.

FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating a method of pouring a semi-frozen orsemi-fluidic beverage 300 (e.g., milkshake, smoothie, slushy, fruitdrink, etc.) from the beverage container 106 of the beverage blender 10in FIGS. 1 and 2 into a receiving cup 302. As the beverage 300 is beingpoured, or upon activation of a control circuit (examples providedlater), the one or more vibrating mechanisms 120 begin vibrating. Thevibrations, which are symbolized by the opposing arrows in the drawing,are transferred (i.e., mechanically transmitted) to the collar 102 andthen to the bottom portion 130 of the beverage container 106. Thevibrations promote pourability of the semi-frozen or semi-fluidicbeverage 300 from the beverage container 106, including dislodgingbeverage ingredients that became lodged or trapped in crevices of thebeverage container 106 during a prior blending process, and freeing upingredients that accumulated at the bottom of the beverage container 106during the prior blending process.

The one or more vibrating mechanisms 120 and their configuration withinthe collar 102 can be implemented in various ways. FIG. 4, which is atop view of a collar 102 that may be used in the beverage blender 10 inFIG. 1, illustrates one approach, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the collar 102 is partitionedinto several compartments (in this example, four). A first compartmentis configured to house a DC power source, such as a rechargeable battery400; second and third compartments are configured to house first andsecond vibrating mechanisms 402 and 404; and a fourth compartment isconfigured to house a vibration control circuit 406. (For ease inillustration, the electrical connections among the rechargeable battery400, vibrating mechanisms 402 and 404, and vibration control circuit 406have been omitted from this drawing. However, they are shown anddescribed later in reference to subsequent drawings.)

Each of the first and second vibrating mechanisms 402 and 404 in thecollar 102 in FIG. 4 are implemented using a plunger-type solenoid 408,a movable mass 410 (e.g., heavy metallic object), and a spring 412. Themovable mass 410 of each vibrating mechanism 402 and 404 is configuredto move along an associated arcuate track 414 disposed between theplunger-type solenoid 408 at one end of the track 414 and the spring 412at the opposing end of the track 414. When activated, the plunger-typesolenoid 408 of each vibrating mechanism 402 and 404 forces its movablemass 410 along the track 414 toward the spring 412. Upon arriving at thespring 412, the movable mass 410 causes the spring 412 to compress andthen decompress, thereby forcing the movable mass 410 to travel backtoward the plunger-type solenoid 408. Once the movable mass 410 arrivesback at the plunger-type solenoid 408, the plunger-type solenoid 408 isactivated once again to force the movable mass 410 back toward thespring 412. This process is repeated, resulting in the movable mass 410of each vibrating mechanism 402 and 404 oscillating between theplunger-type solenoid 408 and the spring 412. The oscillating movablemasses 410 generate the desired vibration forces in the collar 102 andin the beverage container 106 when the collar 102 is attached to thebeverage container 106.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are simplified drawings of the plunger-type solenoid 408used to form the one or more vibrating mechanisms 402 and 404 of thecollar 102 in FIG. 4. Each plunger-type solenoid 408 is housed in ahousing 500 and includes a coil 502 wound around a cylinder 504, withinwhich a plunger (i.e., piston) 506 moves longitudinally. A first end ofthe plunger 506 is attached to a first end of a return spring 508. Thesecond, opposing end of the return spring 508 is attached to a wall ofthe housing 500. When the coil 502 is activated by an electrical currentan electromotive force is generated by the coil 502, causing the plunger506 to accelerate along the length of the cylinder 504 in a directionaway from the return spring 508. This causes the second end of theplunger 506 to momentarily eject from the housing 500. Ejection of thesecond end of the plunger 506 is the mechanism used to push the movablemass 410 along the arcuate track 414 in the vibrating mechanisms 402 and404 in FIG. 4. When the coil 502 is deactivated, the return spring 508pulls the plunger 506 back into the housing 500.

FIG. 6 is an electrical schematic of a vibration control circuit 60 thatmay be used to activate and deactivate the coil 502 of the plunger-typesolenoid 408 used in the vibrating mechanisms 402 and 404 of the collar102 in FIG. 4. The vibration control circuit 60 comprises a square wavegenerator 600 (e.g., formed using a 555 timer chip) configured to drivea transistor 602 and a switch 604 for activating/deactivating thevibrating mechanisms 402 and 404. The coil 502 of the plunger-typesolenoid 408 is coupled between the rechargeable battery 400 and thecollector of the transistor 602. A protection diode 606 is connectedacross the coil 502 to protect the transistor 602 from large reversevoltages (i.e., known as back EMF) generated by the coil 502 as it isrepeatedly energized (i.e., activated) and de-energized (i.e.,deactivated). The square wave generator 600 is tuned so that thefrequency (f=1/T, where T is the wave period) of the square wavereinforces the natural resonance frequency of oscillation of the movablemass 410 along the track 414.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the switch 604 of the vibration controlcircuit 60 is preferably attached to the handle 128 of the beveragecontainer 106, to allow a person pouring a beverage from the beveragecontainer 106 to easily activate, deactivate and control the vibrationmechanism as needed or desired. (Alternatively, the switch 604 may beattached to the walls of the beverage container 106 or to the collar102.) The switch 604 may be a simple push-button type of switch, atoggle switch, a variable or sliding switch (e.g., a potentiometer), ora level-activating switch that is activated upon tipping of the beveragecontainer 106. Wiring 700 between the switch 604 and the vibrationcontrol circuit 60 may be routed along the outside of the handle 128 andbeverage container 106 or molded within the handle 128 and walls of thebeverage container 106. Alternatively, a wireless transmitter integratedin the handle 128 or wall of the beverage container 106 may be used towirelessly transmit the settings of the switch 604 to a wirelessreceiver configured within or attached to the collar 102 and inelectrical communication with the remainder of the vibration controlcircuit 60.

Other vibrating mechanisms other than those in FIG. 4 may be used togenerate the desired vibrations. For example, in the collar 102 in FIG.8 first and second plunger-type vibrators 802 and 804, without tracks414 and movable weights 410, are used. Similar to the plunger-typesolenoid 408 described and illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5A-B above, thefirst and second plunger-type vibrators 802 and 804 each have a coil 806wound around a cylinder 808, and a plunger 810. However, rather thanrelying on the movement of the movable masses 410 along the tracks 414as the source of vibrations (as in FIG. 4), the plungers 810 within theplunger-type vibrators 802 and 804 themselves provide the source ofvibrations. As shown in FIG. 8, the plunger 810 of each of theplunger-type vibrators 802 and 804 is attached to one end of a spring812, the other end of which is attached to a surface of the collar 102.The coil 806 is also attached to a surface of the collar 102. When thecoil 806 is activated, the plunger 810 is pulled into the coil 806. Whendeactivated, the spring 812 pulls the plunger 810 back, i.e., out ofcoil 806. When repeatedly activated and deactivated, the plunger-typevibrators 802 and 804 generate vibration forces that are mechanicallytransmitted to the collar 102 and beverage container 106 when the collar102 is attached to the beverage container 106. A vibration controlcircuit similar to that shown and described in FIG. 6 may be used tocontrol the activation and deactivation of the first and secondplunger-type vibrators 802 and 804.

FIG. 9 is a top view drawing of a collar 102 that employs anotheralternative approach to generating the desired vibration forces. Similarto as in the previously-described embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 4 and8, the collar 102 is partitioned into a plurality of compartments. Afirst compartment is configured to house the rechargeable battery 400,another is configured to house a vibration control circuit 902, and theremaining compartments are configured to house one or more vibratingmotors 904. Each of the vibrating motors 904 is similar to aconventional DC motor, except that each includes weights 906 attached tothe motor shafts 908 of the motors 904. The weights 906 are offset fromthe longitudinal axes of the motor shafts 908. Consequently, as themotor shafts 908 rotate, the weights 906 cause the vibrating motors 904to vibrate. The vibration forces produced by the vibrating motors 904are mechanically transmitted to the collar 102 and then to the beveragecontainer 106 when the collar 102 is attached to the beverage container106.

FIG. 10 is an electrical schematic of a vibration control circuit 1000that may be used to control the operation of the vibrating motors 904 ofthe collar 102 in FIG. 9. The vibration control circuit 1000 comprisesan analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 1002, a pulse-width modulator (PWM)formed from a microcontroller 1004, and a motor drive circuit 1006.Power to the vibration control circuit 1000 is supplied by therechargeable battery 400 in the collar 102. The ADC 1002 is configuredto digitize the switch signal setting of the vibration control switch604 located on the handle 128 of the beverage container 106. Themicrocontroller 1004 is configured to respond to the digitized switchsignal setting by generating a PWM signal having pulses with pulsewidths that depend on the setting of the vibration control switch 604.The width of the pulses in the PWM signal relative to the period of thePWM signal cycle (i.e., the duty cycle) determines at which speed themotor drive circuit 1006 commands the vibrating motors 904 to rotate. Ahigher duty cycle results in a higher average DC voltage being appliedto the terminals of the vibrating motors 904 and, consequently, a higherspeed of rotation and more intense vibrations. A lower duty cycle slowsdown the vibrating motors 904 and the vibration forces they generate.Accordingly, by proper positioning of the vibration control switch 604,a person pouring a beverage from the beverage container 106 is able tovariably control the duty cycle of the PWM signal and, consequently, thelevel of vibrations produced by the vibrating motors 904.

FIG. 11 is drawing of an alternative vibration control circuit 1100 thatmay be used to control the operation of the vibrating motors 904 of thecollar 102 in FIG. 9. The vibration control circuit 1100 comprises atransistor 1102 (alternatively, a Darlington pair) and a protectiondiode 1104. In this exemplary embodiment, the vibration control switch604 comprises a potentiometer that serves as a voltage divider. Thesetting of the potentiometer 604 determines the voltage applied to thebase of the transistor 1102 and, consequently, the current available tothe vibrating motors 904. The greater the base voltage, the higher thecurrent that is available. Increasing the available current allows thevibrating motors 904 to rotate more rapidly and, therefore, to vibratemore intensely. When the potentiometer 604 is adjusted so that the basevoltage to the transistor 1102 is lowered, less current is available tothe vibrating motors 904. With less current available, the vibratingmotors 904 rotate less rapidly and vibrate less intensely.

In the various embodiments of the invention described above, thevibrating mechanisms, rechargeable battery, and vibration controlcircuitry are configured within the collar 102, which, as explainedabove, is either permanently or releasably attached to the bottomportion 130 of the beverage container 106. FIG. 12 is a side sectionaldrawing of an alternative beverage blender 12 that does not have acollar as one of its components, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. The beverage blender 12 comprises a blender base 1200and a beverage container 1202. The blender base 1200 is similar to theblender base 1200 of the beverage blender 10 in FIG. 1, in that itincludes an AC/DC converter 108, motor drive circuit 110, and blendermotor 112. However, rather than being configured to receive and hold abeverage container with an attached collar, the blender base 1200 isdesigned and configured to receive the blender container 1202 directly(i.e., without any need for a collar). Further, the one or morevibrating mechanisms 120, rechargeable battery 400, and vibrationcontrol circuitry 1204 are configured within the walls 1206 of thebeverage container 1202 (i.e., molded in the beverage container walls1206 or mounted in cavities within the beverage container walls 1206),rather than being mounted or housed in a separate collar 102. For easein illustration, the electrical connections among the one or morevibrating mechanisms 120, rechargeable battery 400, and vibrationcontrol circuitry 1204 have been omitted from the drawing. However, theyare connected similar to as described in the previously-describedembodiments of the invention. DC power generated by the AC/DC converter108 in the blender base 1200 is supplied to electrical contacts 1208,which are in electrical contact with electrical contacts 1210 on thebottom of the beverage container 1202 when the beverage container 1202is being held in the blender base 1200. The electrical contacts 1210 atthe bottom of the beverage container 1202 are electrically connected tothe rechargeable battery 400 (electrical connections not shown in thedrawing), thereby allowing the rechargeable battery 400 to be rechargedby the DC generated by the AC/DC converter 108 in the blender base 1200when the beverage container 1202 is docked on the blender base 1200. Ashaft aperture 1212 through the bottom of the beverage container 1202 isconfigured to receive a blade shaft 1214 of a blade 1216. When thebeverage container 1202 is secured in the blender base 1200 the driveshaft 134 of the blender motor 112 engages the blade shaft 1214 via theshaft aperture 1212.

FIG. 13 is a side view drawing illustrating another approach togenerating the desired vibrations in the beverage container 106,according to an embodiment of the present invention. The source ofvibrations comprises a belt (i.e., strap) 1300 having a plurality ofvibrating packs 1302 that may be wrapped around the beverage container106. Each of the vibrating packs 1302 includes a power source (forexample, a battery) and one or more vibrating mechanisms. For example,the vibrating pack 1302 shown in FIG. 14 includes a battery 1400 and twovibrating motors 1402.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled inthe relevant art that various changes in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not withreference to the above description, but should instead be determinedwith reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for compelling a thick, viscousblended smoothie to pour from a blending pitcher, comprising: a blendingpitcher accessory adapted to attach to a blending pitcher and configuredto dock and undock the blending pitcher to and from a blender dockingstation, said blending pitcher accessory configured to remain attachedto the blending pitcher both when the blending pitcher is docked to theblender docking station and when the blending pitcher is undocked fromthe blender docking station; an aperture formed through the blendingpitcher accessory and through which a blender motor in the blenderdocking station accesses a cutting blade in the blending pitcher whenthe blending pitcher accessory is docking the blending pitcher to theblender docking station and a thick, viscous smoothie is being prepared;and a vibrating mechanism attached to or housed within the blendingpitcher accessory configured to aggressively shake and vibrate theblending pitcher accessory and the blending pitcher when the blendingpitcher accessory and blending pitcher are undocked from the blenderdocking station and a human pourer is dispensing a thick, viscousblended smoothie from the blending pitcher, wherein the vibratingmechanism has a physical constitution and vibrational capacitysufficient to generate and mechanically transmit vibrations to theblending pitcher accessory and the blending pitcher that are of amagnitude necessary to dislodge and extricate accumulations of thethick, viscous blended smoothie from a bottom of the blending pitcherand compel the thick, viscous blended smoothie to pour from the blendingpitcher.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blending pitcheraccessory includes a collar that surrounds a bottom opening of theblending pitcher when the blending pitcher accessory is attached to theblending pitcher.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising arechargeable power source attached to or housed within the blendingpitcher accessory configured to supply electrical power to the vibratingmechanism when the blending pitcher accessory and blending pitcher areundocked from the blender docking station and a human pourer isdispensing the thick, viscous blended smoothie from the blendingpitcher.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the blending pitcheraccessory further includes electrical contacts that are electricallyconnected to the rechargeable power source and configured toelectrically engage electrical contacts in the blender docking stationwhen the blending pitcher is docked in the blender docking station. 5.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vibrating mechanism comprises amoveable mass configured to impart vibrations to the blending pitcherattachment and the blending pitcher when the human pourer is dispensingthe thick, viscous blended smoothie from the blending pitcher.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 5, wherein the blending pitcher accessory includes aphysical track along which the movable mass is configured to travel andoscillate when the human pourer is dispensing the thick, viscous blendedsmoothie from the blending pitcher.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5, whereinthe vibrating mechanism comprises a motor and the moveable masscomprises a weight coupled to a shaft of the motor and offset from alongitudinal axis of a shaft of the motor.